The Girl of My Dreams
by stillplayingpretend
Summary: How do the twins react when they learn that Harry and Ginny are dating? With a prank of course, in the form of a sleeping curse! One-Shot, takes place during HBP. HPGW. Written for the Houses Competition Year 5, Prompt: [Action] Sleeping Curse.


A/N: House/Team: Badgers. Class Subject: Potions. Category: Standard. Prompt: [Action] Sleeping Curse. Word Count: 2495. One-shot for the Houses Competition Round 2. Takes place during Sixth year.

"And that's the last of them," said George Weasley with a yawn as he waved goodnight to their last customer of the day. "Fred, the store's empty, do you want to lock up?"

"In a minute, we've just had a letter from ickle-Ronnie," replied Fred, flopping down on the couch in the employee's lounge of Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes next to his twin. "You'll never guess what he's done now."

"Gone and got himself almost killed again with Harry?" George yawned once more, this time with exaggerated fatigue. "I've got to say, the more he does that the less impressive it gets."

"No, though it does have to do with Harry. Ron says that Harry has taken it upon himself to date our little sister."

George blinked. "Bloody hell, really? Well, Gin must be over the moon about that."

"Yeah, probably," agreed Fred. "Problem is, Ron says that it's alright because he's given them his blessing."

"_His_ blessing?" grumbled George. "Who gives a rats-arse about _Ron's_ blessing? Ginny's got five other brothers. Who does Ron think he is, speaking for the family like that? Harry should be talking to us if he's got to talk to anybody. Merlin knows Ron's not going to be good for much of anything. And by the way, why are we hearing about this from Ron? Why didn't Ginny write to tell us all this herself?"

"Indeed," muttered Fred speculatively. He looked down at Ron's letter again, then looked up at his twin mischievously. "Gred my dear twin, I do believe it's time we showed them the error of their ways."

George broke into an impish grin and rubbed his hands together excitedly. "Why Forge, what exactly is it that you had in mind?"

Fred grinned back identically. "I think a little something to remind them that if Harry wants to date Ginny, Ron is not the one they need to concern themselves with. Something that will put a little kink in the honeymoon phase of this relationship."

"I love it already," said George immediately. "But Fred, we don't actually care if Harry dates Ginny. They're both adults."

Fred shrugged and spread out his hands. "Sure, but where's the fun in that?"

* * *

"Do. Not. Open that Harry." Said Ginny firmly.

Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny sat at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall staring down at the letter that Hedwig had just dropped in front of him. It was addressed "To Our Sister's Boyfriend" and bore the unmistakable mark of Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes on the envelope. The trio and Ginny had spent the last five minutes debating whether it was safe to open, with Ron and Harry deeming it was probably alright but both girls being firmly opposed.

"It's probably just about the joke shop. They consider me a partner 'cause I gave them their first loan. It's got to be safe…" said Harry uncertainly.

"Harry, believe me, they have no reason to address it like that if they don't mean trouble. I've lived with the twins my entire life – this has got to be a prank. I just don't know what kind of prank they could fit in an envelope," said Ginny worriedly.

"Plus, when have the twins ever written you anything," added Hermione. "They usually just send news through Ron or wait to see us in person."

"Oh for Merlin's sake," said Ron with a roll of his eyes. "Give it here Harry, I'll open it." And with that, he scooped the letter up off the table and broke the seal with a flick of his thumbs.

Immediately a large burst of pink confetti exploded in a cloud around Ron's head. Ron reeled back, dropped the letter onto the table and doubled over coughing. Harry leaned over from his seat next to Ron and gave him a hard thud on the back to try and stop the wheezing. At that exact moment, a shot of white light sprang from the letter and hit Harry directly in the chest.

"HARRY!" cried Hermione and Ginny.

Harry looked at them in shock for a moment, then blinked drowsily and promptly collapsed in a heap onto the table.

"Harry, HARRY! Are you alright!?" asked Ginny frantically, reaching over to give him a hard shake.

"What if that letter wasn't really from the twins?" said Hermione in a panic. "What if that was from a Death Eater or Voldemort trying to kill Harry? Oh, I knew we should have taken that straight to a teacher!"

"No-" coughed Ron. "It's- _cough_, it's- _cough_, from the twins. Look and see."

Ginny picked the letter up off the table gingerly and began to read. "Oh of all the idiotic things! Seriously?"

"What? It's really from Fred and George?" demanded Hermione.

"Yes," replied Ginny with a scowl. "They've cast a sleeping curse on Harry because we didn't tell them about our relationship and they had to hear it from Ron. They write, 'reading Ron's letter made us wish we were unconscious, so consider this revenge for subjecting our eyes to that travesty.'"

"Well, how do we break it?" said Hermione, nudging the sleeping Harry gently with her finger.

"It doesn't say." Ginny threw the letter back onto the table and sighed. "I'm going to be late for class. Can you lot get him to Madame Pomfrey?"

"Yeah alright, we can get him to the hospital wing," Said Hermione tiredly. "Hopefully she'll be able to set him to rights. And stop Ron's coughing."

"No I'm- _cough_, I'm getting better," insisted Ron. "I think that was just something to make sure whoever opened the envelope couldn't dodge the spell."

"Well, that worked out well," said Ginny with a roll of her eyes. "I'll come by and see him after class." And with that, Ginny headed out of the Great Hall toward Herbology, her red hair swishing behind her as she sauntered down the corridor and out of the room.

"I think we'd better just levitate him," suggested Hermione. "I don't think we'll be able to carry him up and down all those stairs."

"Carry me where?" said Harry drowsily.

"Harry!" Hermione reached across the table and grabbed his face between her hands. "Harry, you're okay!"

"Uh, yeah I am," said Harry shifting uncomfortably out of her grasp. "What happened?"

"Fred and George cast a sleeping curse on you," explained Ron. "Because you didn't tell them about your relationship with Ginny and they had to find out from me."

Harry's face paled. "Oh wow. So, I uh, fell asleep? I feel fine now."

"Yes, you were face down on the table for a few minutes there," said Hermione worriedly.

"Well, at any rate, I want to get some studying done before class. Let's head back up to the common room."

At that exact moment, Ginny came running back into the Great Hall and picked up her bag from where she had left it on the bench beside Hermione. "Harry! You're alright! Sorry, all my brothers are such gits."

"Oi!" protested Ron.

"I said what I said," said Ginny, narrowing her eyes dangerously.

"Gin?" said Harry in a hesitant, off-balanced voice. He stared at her for a second, then collapsed back onto the table for a second time.

"Oh not again," moaned Hermione. Then she looked up and gazed at Ginny curiously. "Ginny, would you mind stepping out of the room for a second?"

"What?" asked Ginny distractedly, levitating her slumbering boyfriend with a wave of her wand. "Why?"

"Just trust me on this." Said Hermione firmly.

"Okay fine, in a minute. We really should get him to the hospital wing."

Ron, Hermione and Ginny followed the levitating Harry out of the Great Hall and down the corridor toward the hospital wing. Hermione paused at the door and stared pointedly at Ginny, who deposited Harry onto one of the beds and left the room in a huff. Like clockwork, Harry sat up and looked around in confusion.

"I fell asleep again?"

"Yes," began Hermione with a slight frown. "And I'm sorry Harry, but I think I've found the trigger and I don't think you're going to like it."

"What?" demanded Harry just as Ginny threw open the door and re-entered the room dramatically.

"Well?" said Ginny in an exasperated tone.

Immediately Harry's eyes drifted closed and he began to snore softly.

"Gin, I think we've got some bad news," said Ron.

* * *

"My boyfriend can't be in the same room as me without falling asleep."

Ginny looked like she was just itching to cast a bat-bogey curse on the next person to look at her funny. Her face was as red as her hair as she paced angrily up and down the length of the hospital wing. "I'm going to kill them. I'm going to kill them both. I'm going to kill them both with my bare hands, bury them, dig them up, and then kill them again."

"Easy Ginny, you're starting to sound like Mum," warned Ron.

"You shut it!" said Ginny, whirling on him with her wand raised. "Don't think I've forgotten it was your letter that started this whole thing!"

"Enough," interrupted Hermione. "Fighting amongst ourselves won't solve this. We need to find a way to break the curse on Harry."

"Did you try _finite_ _incantatem_?" asked Ron.

"_Finite_ _incantatem_? What are you, twelve? This is the twins we're talking about Ron, really. When have any of their pranks every been lifted so easily?" snapped Ginny.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Ron growled back. "Did you have a better suggestion you'd like to share?"

"What about..." Hermione bit her lip hesitantly. "This is ridiculous but… what about true love's kiss?"

Ron and Ginny stared at her strangely. "Why would you suggest that?" asked Ron in bewilderment.

Now it was Hermione's turn to flush bright red. "Well, in the Muggle stories it's always true love's kiss that breaks the spell. I just thought… never mind."

Ginny cocked her head in wonder at her, then strode over to the unconscious Harry and furiously smashed her lips against his.

"Nope," said Ginny matter-of-factly. "Not it."

"Bloody hell!" exclaimed Ron.

"Both of you please stop fighting, you're giving me a migraine," moaned Hermione, rubbing her temples.

Ginny sat down on the bed next to Harry with a sigh. "This is so unfair. Harry and I were supposed to have our first real date tonight. How are we supposed to do that if we can't be in the same room without him falling asleep?"

Hermione gave her a small reassuring smile. "We'll figure it out, Ginny. Fred and George wouldn't have done anything that actually hurts Harry long-term. In the meantime, maybe we should wake Harry up and see if he has any ideas?"

"Alright" said Ginny reluctantly. She leaned over and gave Harry another quick kiss, smoothed the hair out of his eyes, and headed off to class. The moment she had left the room Harry groaned, sat up, and touched his lips lightly.

"Did Ginny just leave?" he asked groggily. "How long was I out?"

"A couple hours," replied Ron. "We haven't been able to think of a way to break the curse."

"Did you try _finite_ _incantatem_?" asked Harry.

"HA! See!" yelled Ron triumphantly.

"Don't you start with that again," Hermione warned.

Harry looked from one friend to the other and then rolled his eyes. "Do I want to know?"

Ron opened his mouth to reply but Hermione cut across him sharply. "No, believe me, you don't. I'm sorry Harry, I guess you and Ginny are just going to have to stay away from each other for the time being."

Harry groaned. "We were supposed to have our first real date tonight."

Ron perked up immediately. "Oh, a shame that, you can always reschedule for after the curse is lifted. Whenever that is," said Ron, trying and failing to hide his delight.

Harry sighed and slid further down into his hospital bed. Then he sat up abruptly, squared his shoulders, and shook his head. "You know what? No. I've had enough good things taken away from me. Go get Ginny. We're having our date tonight."

Ron and Hermione shared a cautious glance. "How are you going to do that?" asked Ron warily.

Harry grinned. "Here's what you're going to tell her to do."

* * *

Later that night, under the cover of the invisibility cloak, Ginny slid into dark hospital wing and crept carefully into bed with her sleeping boyfriend. She smiled down at him as she took out her wand, pointed it at the unconscious Harry's head and muttered "Legilimens."

Thoughts and images began to swirl by as Ginny lurched into Harry's mind. For a moment she felt like the tide of memories might overwhelm her, but she pressed onward, searching for the memory Harry had told her about. What a jolt of triumph Ginny located the memory and plunged in headfirst.

She found herself standing in the empty Great Hall, done up to look as it had during the Yule Ball her third year. For a moment she was overwhelmed by the beauty of the silent ballroom, and then a gentle waltz began to play.

"Excuse me," said a warm voice. "Might I have this dance?"

Ginny turned to see Harry waiting for her on the dance floor with an outstretched hand. She smiled and took it, and the two of them began to sway gently to the music.

"You're a much better dancer than I remember you being," said Ginny cheekily.

Harry laughed. He looked older than he had at the original Yule Ball, but he was still wearing those brilliant green dress robes that had made her heart swoon the first time around. "Thank you, it's a little perk to dancing in your dreams. Even I can have rhythm."

For a while, neither of them spoke as they enjoyed the feeling of moving to the music together. Harry ended the dance by slowly dipping her in time with the beat, then pulling her up into a long lingering kiss. Ginny broke the kiss with a breathless sigh, then lowered her head onto Harry's shoulder.

"I'm sorry my brothers cursed you Harry." said Ginny regretfully.

"It's not so bad," said Harry with a sly smile. "I can think of worse places to be than on a dream date with the girl of my dreams."

* * *

Meanwhile, back in the hospital wing, Fred and George stared down in bewilderment at Harry and Ginny's intertwined, unconscious bodies.

"Well, that is not what I expected to find," said George.

"Me neither," echoed Fred. "Should we wake them up to break the curse?"

"Nah," George pulled out his wand and pointed it at Harry. "We need to get back to guard duty. The Order will miss us if we're gone much longer."

"Fair enough," replied his twin, also pulling out his wand. "_Finite_ _Incantatem_!" said Fred and George in unison.

"Good night Harry, good night Ginny," said George patting them both on the head. "Sweet dreams."


End file.
